Everybody Draw Mohammad Day!

One tenet the Supreme Court has protected over and over is expression and speech, protected by the First Amendment. Americans have the right to say and do whatever they want as a form of protest, publication, art, etc. without fear of state reprisal or religious hand-wringing.

One apocryphal story from the lore of our founding fathers goes so far as to identify an American who does not engage in a thoughtful critique of his government as unpatriotic.

What the Muslim community both domestic and abroad does when confronted with this protected right is strictly un-American. There will not be any liberal meandering over this issue. It comes down to one simple fact: Muslims want special protection. This is not allowed. No religion deserves special protection from free speech and expression, nor does any secular group.

What about foreign Muslims? Yeah, what about them. Should we be concerned with governments who block Facebook and YouTube, who shut down cell service for weeks because of a falsified election, who encourage the subjugation and mistreatment of women. No, they are irrelevant.

As far as domestic Muslims are concerned. Grow up. America steadfastly refuses to alter its position on protected speech. You don’t want to see images of your prophet drawn? That’s too bad. Part of being an American is embracing secularism.

Our public schools, government, legal system; all secular. My Christian friends would disagree about whether or not the United States ought to be secular, but nevertheless, it is.

So, my patriotic American friends. Without calls to kick the miscreants out, with open-arms, and understanding for our differences, I ask you to draw Mohammed.

Change your profile picture on Facebook, put him on your t-shirt, talk about it with your friends. Most of all, understand the values that come with living in a country that does not punish this type of protest.